Neuroblasts-glia interaction in tissue culture as evidenced by the study of ectoenzymes. Ecto-ATPase activity of mouse neuroblastoma cells.

Ecto-ATPase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase activities of hamster astroblasts, clonal line NN, and mouse neuroblasts, clonal line Ml in coculture, have been studied. The originally low ecto-ATPase activity in both cell lines increased many fold when these cell lines were cocultured. An increase of ecto-ATPase activity was also found in coculture of neuroblastoma cells with chick fibroblasts. Neuroblastoma Ml cells were separated from coculture with hamster astroblasts after 7 days and 2 months. Reisolated M1 cell lines exhibited higher ecto-ATPase activity than the original M1 cell line. The M1 cell line separated after 2 months of coculture had higher ecto-ATPase activity than the M1 cell line separated after 7 days of coculture with hamster astroblasts. This higher ecto-ATPase activity continued for more than 20 replications after separation of the M1 cells from the glial cells.